Strays feel the bite as pandemic spreads

大流行病蔓延，流浪動物嚐苦果

【摘要2020.5.20.自由】◎管淑平

As coronavirus forces billions of people around the world into lockdown, another sizeable population has also been hard hit － stray animals.

隨著冠狀病毒迫使全世界數十億人被禁足，另一群為數可觀的族群—流浪動物，也受到嚴重打擊。

While pet owners in many countries are still allowed to walk their dogs, thousands of other animals － the exact numbers are unknown － are starving and turning feral.

儘管許多國家仍允許寵物飼主遛狗，但其他動物正在挨餓、流浪街頭，這些動物數以千計，確實數目不明。

"We are seeing an increase in the numbers of cats in areas where we feed, some appear to have been abandoned, while others have roamed far from their usual spots in search of food," says Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou, a co-founder of Nine Lives Greece, a network of volunteers dedicated to reducing the overpopulation of stray cats in Athens and other cities.

「我們餵食區內的街貓數量正在增加，有些顯然是遭遺棄，其他的則是為了找食物，流浪到離牠們慣常棲身地很遠的地方」，義工組織「希臘九命貓」共同創辦人科黛莉雅．馬登—卡內洛波羅說；該組織致力於減少雅典等城市過多的流浪貓。

According to the municipality, the stray dog population in Athens is put at hundreds while the cats run into the thousands. （AFP）

根據市府的說法，雅典有數百隻流浪狗，流浪貓數量則達數千。（法新社）

新聞辭典

bite：動詞或名詞，產生不良作用，強烈影響。例句：The trade war is beginning to bite.（這場貿易戰開始產生負面影響。）

sizeable：形容詞，相當大的（數量、尺寸等）。例句：Her late father left a sizeable amount of money.（她已逝的父親留下一筆金額相當大的錢。）

run into：片語，總計。例句：His yearly income often runs into six figures.（他的年收入總金額常達到6位數。）